Marriage in South Korea is similar to that in the West, but has its own unique features, mainly due to the influence of Korean Confucianism.
Video Marriage in South Korea
Feasibility
Marriage in South Korea is a union between men and women. A man over 18 and a woman over 18 can marry with the consent of their parent or guardian, and a person over the age of 20 may marry freely.
Marriage in same ancestral clan
Marriage is not for individuals but for the wishes of the family. If someone decides to get married, they must get approval from the whole family. In the past it was generally considered taboo for a man and a woman to marry if they both had the same last name of the same ancestor. From this cultural influence, article 809 of the Korean Civil Code regulates marriage in a clan in the past, thinking of it as a kind of exogamy. However, the Korean Constitutional Court found this law unconstitutional and requested an amendment by the legislative branch in its 1997 decision. Five judges found it unconstitutional and two requested amendments by the legislative branch, while the other two opposed the outcome of this decision. The court specifically requested the legislature to amend the current civil code article 809 paragraph 1 at the end of 1998, and hold further decisions on this law. However, with the legislative branch not providing additional legislation to oppose the decision by the Constitutional Court, the decision was set to be final, allowing people in the same ancestral clan to marry each other.
Maps Marriage in South Korea
Traditional wedding ceremony
- Pre-ceremony
Traditional Korean weddings are based around and center on traditional Confucian values. Every aspect of marriage, from wedding arrangements to ceremonies and post-celebrations, has important and complicated steps to walk with them. In traditional Korean culture, like many traditional cultures, marriage between a man and a woman is decided by bride and groom elders. As in Confucian values ​​family and family customs are placed above all. Marriage is considered the most important part of a person's life. This is not just a union between two individuals but two families. In addition, marriage is a way, especially among the elite family, as a way of developing and/or maintaining social status. For this reason, a considerable amount of time is spent on preparation before finally performing the actual wedding ritual. The first step is called Eui hon, or 'matchmaking', this is when both families of the bride and groom discuss the possibility of marriage. Various factors are considered such as: social status, personality, appearance, academic and/or agricultural (industrial) achievements, as well as material harmony as predicted by an astrologer. "In general, Eui hon is determined when the groom sends a marriage proposal and the bride sends a reply permitting this marriage." After the bride's response is sent back to the groom, if approved, the groom then sets the date for the ceremony. This second step is called Napchae, or 'date setting'. The bride year, month, day, and hour (according to the lunar calendar), known as Saju, is written on paper and wrapped with bamboo twigs and tied with red and blue threads. Finally, the package is wrapped in red and blue cloth and sent to the bridal family. The groom's birth date is sent to the astrologer who determines the date based on Saju. The date was then sent back to the groom. The final step in the pre-ceremonial tradition is called Napp'ae, or exchanging valuables. After the date set the groom then send the box to the bride known as Ham. In Ham there are usually three items. Hanseo, Ch'aedan, and Honsu. Of the three most important are Hanseo, or marriage certificate. It is given to the bride in dedication to marry only one husband. The wife is expected to keep this paper forever; after death the papers were buried with his wife too. The Ch'aedan is a set of red and blue fabrics used to make clothes. He is red and blue is a representation of the Yin/Yang philosophy. Last Honsu, are various other gifts given to the bride's family. This could include household items, jewelry and clothing.
- Ceremony
In ancient times, marriage ( Honrye ) was held in the yard or bridal house. The groom travels by horse to the bride's house and after the wedding ceremony takes his wife on a sedan (sedan chair) to her parents' house to live. The bride and groom wear the formal court costume for the wedding ceremony. Ordinary people are allowed to wear fancy clothes only on their wedding day. Hand lanterns are used to light the way from the groom's house to the bride's house the night before the wedding. Traditionally, the groom's family will bring a wedding chest filled with gifts for the bride's family. The wedding swan is a symbol for a long and happy marriage. Crane is a symbol of longevity and can be represented on a female sling. The Chinese duck carving couples called duck wedding ducks are often used in traditional wedding ceremonies because they represent peace, loyalty, and abundant descent.
- Bride and groom
Women's clothing includes jeogori (short jackets with long sleeves) with two long ribbons tied to form an otgoreum (???). A chima (??), full length skirt, high waist, and twisted worn. Shoe-shaped boots made of silk, worn with white cotton socks. The bride's attire may include a white sash with significant symbols or flowers. Steel or crown hats can also be worn. The norigae (???) is a hanbok decoration (??) that has been used by all classes of Korean women for centuries. It's tied to a skirt or ribbon on a jacket. The above node is called Maedeup (??). Jackets ( jeogori , ???) and trousers and overcoat worn. The jacket had loose sleeves, long trousers and tied with straps on the ankle. Vests can be worn over the shirts. Black hat can be worn. Wedding costumes for men are also known as
Modern style wedding ceremony
In big cities, luxury hotels will have a 'wedding room' or ballroom that is used exclusively for wedding ceremonies. These rooms are decorated with wedding patterns and rented out for couples. Another wedding hall is an independent facility that can accommodate different wedding parties at once. Today, many couples will initially have a more 'westernized' ceremony with tuxedo outfits and white wedding dresses, then a small Korean traditional wedding after the main ceremony.
Practice before telek
The various exchanges are very important for Korean marriage: the gift of household goods ( Honsu ); gifts of clothing and jewelery between the bride ( Yedan , Chedan and Paemul ); gifts given to significant relatives of the bride ( Yedan ); a cash prize from a groom's relative to the bride ( Cholgap ), and from the groom's family to a groom's friend ( Hamgap ); and the exchange of food and wine between two families ( Sangsu ). Not all practices are still common.
The still common exchanges are the ritual sutras ( Yedan ), given by the bride to significant brothers, and negotiating the purchase price of the gift box ( Hamgap ) sent at night before the wedding to the bridal house by the groom's friends. Generally, Groom prepares shelter, the bride prepares the household items.
Wedding room
While a hotel or church ballroom should maintain the flexibility required for other functions, an independent wedding hall can focus strictly on marriage, and even meet certain themes. Marriage in luxury hotels was banned by the government in 1980, being partially authorized in 1994, and became fully authorized in 1999.
In busy wedding rooms, the formalities (except for couples and their families) are usually casual compared to Western standards. There may be a buffet hall on one floor where guests from all different weddings come to eat, either before or after the ceremony, which may take no more than 20 minutes. The most common gift for new couples is cash, and in the hall outside the wedding salon, representatives of couples' families will collect and record donations.
The official ceremony in front of the guests is followed by Pyebaek, which is a ceremony among family members exclusively. The bride officially greets her parents-in-law after the wedding ceremony. In addition, the groom often gives a piggy ride to his mother and then his bride, symbolizing his acceptance of his obligations to his mother and his wife.
Weddings and receptions
Modern Korean wedding parties or receptions, ( kyeolhon piroyeon , ?????, ?????) can be a blend of traditional and western cultures. At a traditional wedding party, guests will expect to find bulgogi (???, roasted beef cuts), galbi (??, short ribs soaked), various kimchi (pickled cabbage with various spices, with other ingredients like radish, seafood). There will be many bowls of sauces accompanying them to dip.
The food is always accompanied by a large amount of white rice, sticky (?) As well as
Also popular are the lightly boiled broth from dried anchovy and vegetable soup made from dried spinach, sliced ​​radish or dried seaweed. The steamed rice cake ( tteok ) is sometimes decorated with aromatic mugwort leaves or sprinkled with baked soy, barley, or millet flour served as a delicious ritual meal. A variety of fruits, such as Korean pear, and pastry will be offered for dessert. Spoons and chopsticks are used for eating.
Current practice
In 2009, according to the Korea National Statistical Office, the average age of first marriage was 31.6 for men and 28.7 for women. In a large number of marriages, males are older than females. This age gap is usually intentional. By 2013, the average cost per person marriage exceeds 50 million won.
Marriage between Korea and non-Korean
In recent years, the number of mixed marriages in Korea has increased substantially due to a number of factors, including the high number of Koreans studying abroad or traveling and the number of men who, unable to find a Korean wife, marry foreigners. As the world becomes more interconnected with the development of the internet, dating sites or social networking sites provide a medium for couples to interact. International marriages now account for more than 9% of all marriages in Korea. Most of the 'mixed' marriages are between Korean men and foreign women, but there are also many Korean women who marry men from other countries. Following Korean tradition, racial marriages are rare but recently, there has been an increase in the number of interracial marriages. The state of marriage tends to differ depending on the sex of the Korean couple as well as their economic capacity. International marriages in Korea have tripled since 2003 with foreign wives amounting to about 125,000 in 2012 with an estimated 8% of Korean men, especially those living in rural areas, marrying non-Koreans. In total, in 2012 there are 144,681 registered couples from Korea nationwide with 125 031 (74.8%) wives and 19 650 (25.2%) foreign husbands. There are 29 762 interracial marriages that make up about 9.0% of the total number of marriages in South Korea. The nationality of the non-Korean bride is different from Vietnam (34.3%), China (33.9%), Philippines (9.3%). The most common explanation for this phenomenon is that there is a lack of South Korean women willing to marry men who live in rural areas.
Due to the lack of female populations in rural South Korea, some men rely on wedding brokers and agents to arrange marriages with mail-order brides, mostly from Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as China. Marriage between South Korean men and foreign women is often governed by marriage brokers or international religious groups. Men pay money to meet and meet their spouses upon their arrival to South Korea. There is much evidence to suggest that there is a statistically higher level of poverty and divorce in Korean men married to foreign women. Currently divorce between Korea and foreign spouses reaches 10% of total divorce rate in Korea. Although this marriage can succeed, in some cases immigrant wives are misunderstood and isolated from their Korean husbands
Because language and cultural differences are a problem, many foreign brides are suffering from cultural differences that also affect their children's social integration. Children of interracial marriage families called "Damunwha" meaning multicultural families, face a crisis of identity and racial harassment as they try to assimilate into Korean society. Because of the negative social perception of foreign institutions and brides from these institutions and the extreme suitability of Koreans of one race, these children suffer from a lack of ownership and feel abused from isolation.
As a means of reducing future problems, the government is preparing a program for men thinking to marry foreign women through collaboration between the Gender Equality Ministry and the Ministry of Justice. Also, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs offers programs to assist foreign wives to try to adjust to Korean society through the National Family Health Support Center.
The Multicultural Family Support Center in South Korea is operated and funded by the Gender and Family Equity Ministry. The aims and objectives of these centers are to provide family education, counseling and cultural services to multicultural families, to support the early settlement of female immigrants in Korean society, and to help multicultural families enjoy a stable family life. By collaborating with local municipalities and provinces, the Support Center manages to provide basic but necessary services for local women such as Korean language and culture education services, translation and interpretation services, childcare support services, child support support services, employment & amp; business support services.
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in South Korea. Homosexuality is heavily criticized in mainstream Korean society, and many Koreans regard homosexuality as a Western phenomenon. Despite the illegality of same-sex marriage in Korea, some gay couples perform private non-legal ceremonies. Film director and producer Kim-Jho Gwang-soo held a private non-legal ceremony with Kim Seung-hwan, the head of gay film distributor Rainbow Factory in September 2013. Kim Jho held a public and non-legal marriage ceremony with movie distributor David Kim Seung-hwan (same-sex partner since 2004), in Seoul on September 7, 2013, the first in a country that does not recognize same-sex marriage.
Marriage type
Arranging marriage and matching
An organized wedding brand is very popular in South Korea. Koreans usually refer to this type of marriage as seon (?). Generally, parents organize meetings, but ultimately it's up to the couple to decide whether they want to get married. However, pre-screening parents means that the meeting has a much higher chance of success than a typical blind date, in case the couple decides to marry. The reason why this type of marriage is prevalent in Korea is that marriage in Korea is not just a matter of the bride and groom but a combination of two families. Because potential partners are screened first by the family, the chances of family opposition to marriage are very small.
It is rare that one seon leads to marriage; many succeeded in finding matching pairs only after dozens of different seon meetings with different individuals. After the initial meeting, the couple usually date for several months to a year before the actual marriage. The difference between arranged marriage and "love" marriage is therefore often blurred, although in family matchmaking tend to engage more closely.
Jodoh is also common in South Korea. The family presents their son or daughter to a matchmaker, or a man or woman arranges a meeting with a matchmaker, to analyze their rà © rà © rà © and family history for the purpose of finding compatible marriage partners in social status and earning potential. Korea keeps a record of the proper lineage, and it's listed in matchmaking rÃÆ'  © sumÃÆ' ©. Today, almost every single person meets a suitable couple before the wedding and has more to say about the game than was previously allowed. Jodoh get compensation for their services.
Marriage love
Marriage "love", as it is often called in South Korea, has become commonplace in recent decades. The phrase refers to the marriage of two people who meet and fall in love without going through matchmakers or family-arranged meetings. Most often, the first bride meets on a blind date arranged by friends, on group dates, at their workplace, or while at college or university. South Korean families receive this type of marriage sooner than usual.
Divorce and remarriage
Divorce, historically almost non-existent, first appeared in significant numbers during the 1970s, and is now better known to occur. Rapid change in attitudes toward divorce, as well as other issues such as marriage, childbirth, and cohabitation, show South Korea in the upheaval of social transformation. In 2004, 458 couples divorced daily, at an average age of 41.3 years for men and 37.9 years for women.
Marriage again became more common in South Korea. According to South Korean government statistics reported in the Korea Times newspaper, the number of remarriages rose 16.1 percent to 44,355 in 2004. The number of Korean married parents has doubled since 1995. The number of divorces reached 114,707 in 2012. Korean marriage South Duo's first agency began advertising a wedding service back in 2006.
Divorce
One in three South Korean marriages ended in divorce. Some couples may fly to Reno, Nevada to divorce faster than through the Korean legal system. Those who decided to go to Nevada were greeted with disappointment by some people in the Korean legal system. Many actions have been taken to get married couples to think twice before separating. "It's sad to see people fly to the US because they can not even bother doing that."
References
Further reading
- Norimitsu Onishi, Divorce in South Korea Strikes a New Attitude, The New York Times , September 21, 2003
- Dennis Hart (2003). From Tradition to Consumption: Building a Capitalistic Culture in South Korea . Seoul: Author. ISBNÃ, 89-88095-44-8.
- Kendall, Laurel (1996). Married in Korea: From Gender, Morality, and Modernity . University of California Press. ISBN: 0-520-20200-7.
External links
- Norimitsu Onishi, Korean Man Using Broker to Find The Bride in Vietnam, The New York Times , February 22, 2007
- Paul Wiseman, Asian man looking for brides from poor countries, USA Today , February 27, 2008
- The difference between South & amp; North Korean Wedding
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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